What should I do during high school to get into an Ivy League college?Answered
Hii! I'm a 10th grade student in Brazil (the school year here starts in january/february and ends in november/december, so I'll graduate at the end of 2023), and I'm preparing to apply to top international universities, most of them in the US. I'm somewhat familiar with the admissions process, but I still don't know exactly what these institutions look for in students. As I still have two (and a half) years to improve my "curriculum", what should I focus on to be admitted in universities such as Harvard, Columbia, Yale and other highly selective colleges? Is there any extracurricular activity or specific trait that will turn my profile more attractive to these universities?
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1 answer
Good luck on your journey. To be perfectly honest, no one on here can answer this as well as the experts on CollegeVine that put together these videos within the past years. They are expert opinions by Collegevine on Columbia, Harvard, and Yale.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thOVfNY89L4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trACSy_js5Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh1pEAVKYVE
Watch them each once or twice and take notes to compare and contrast. If you have further questions, then ask them here. Also, keep in mind these videos came out before the last cycle admissions rates so while 90% of the contact is still valid, you have to adjust for higher SAT/ACT test scores and better ECs and Essays than previous years. For example, I would recommend having a 1550/35 SAT/ACT score because that is what the average is going to be for these schools these days. Also, the admit rates are lower. 3.43% for Harvard, 3.66% for Columbia, and 4.62% for Yale.
Since 95% of applicants get rejected at Ivys and Elites, it's best to be over-prepared and have more strong points in your application than try to have average stats and average ECs.
If after doing your research you feel that you don't meet the super high standards, keep in mind that there are literally hundreds of excellent universities and colleges in the US that will give you an amazing education.
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